The 150-strong crowd of general category students was demanding the reopening of the hostel, which had been closed down indefinitely on Wednesday following clashes between students belonging to the general and reserved categories. The police also lobbed tear-gas shells to control the group.

The students met Principal B.B.L. Agarwal this morning and asked him to reopen the hostel. When he refused, they said that they would either force their way in or court arrest. The students said that they wanted the hostel reopened as there had been a stabbing incident near the campus last night. Two students from the general category, Shriram Vaidyanathan and Rahul Thakur, were allegedly stabbed by students of the reserved category.``We don't know why the police began the lathicharge,'' the students said. ``The police suddenly started beating us up. We ran in different directions. Even when the crowd dispersed, a few constables went towards two students and started beating them up. '' Swapnil Ghosh and Sharif Khan said that their arms were fractured as a result of the beating.

Another student, Dharmendra Verma, said that he was standing alone when a constable pushed him down and began poking the butt of his rifle into his chest, threatening to open fire.

``Later, we heard a policeman telling others to lob tear-gas shells at a tube light in the hostel balcony as three students were standing under it. Are we all petty criminals to be treated like this?'' a students asked.

According to DCP north-east Muktesh Chander, the lathicharge was ordered after the boys tried to force their way into the hostel and broke the windows. ``The boys assaulted the policemen too and six of them sustained minor injuries, forcing us to lob tear gas shells,'' he said.

The principal tried to pacify the students as they demanded to know why the police had beaten them up. ``How can the principal call the police to beat us up in our own college?'' one asked.

The principal told them that he had their best interests in mind when he closed down the hostel and called the police. ``I called the police as there was tension. What authority have I to tell the police what to do and what not to do?'' he asked.

After the principal and the police had left, the boys entered the hostel, took their belongings and left, obeying the principal's order that the hostel would remain closed.

But the students were dissatisfied. ``I am from Haridwar and I have nowhere to go,'' said a student. ``I am an intern and have to do night hours. Where do I go in the dead of the night?'' he asked. ``The principal should have closed down the college along with the hostel, but he wanted things to appear normal when they were not,'' the intern said.